The Carrero Contract - Selling Your Soul (Mafia Romance)

Chapter 156

He tells me things like this, he told me about things even before, so I have no doubts.

I walk in, this time keeping my eyes off my sulky bastard of a man and slide the tray down in the centre of the seating on one of the low tables. I have to avoid looking his way and get with the programme that we can barely stand each other. Jackson slides his beside mine neatly, an eerie silence of men staring at us, and as I go to follow him out, I’m halted by that snappy tone.

“Pour it … get your head out of your ass, Walters.” A harsh cutting tone that signals I’m not done here. Alexi sounds pissed still, and I spin to catch him glaring at me as though I have committed the ultimate sin by expecting them to pour their own. They expect servitude of women in his world, even I know that. What I didn’t expect was him to still be in the throes of prick mode and singling me out again.

Why the fuck did he make me come up here if he was going to be like this? He could have got any of the staff to run after his arse and serve his buddies. This all feels a little too personal.

And when does he ever call me Walters? Never, not in the whole time I have known him. It’s always Cam or London.

I glare right back, this time upset replaced with an ignited fury that he should talk down to me like a piece of shit in front of these men. I don’t care who they are. He has no right to treat me so badly when I run this fucking club and make it what it is. I’m not just one of the low wage staff downstairs. I own part of the fucking building! I earned my respect.

Santagato sits back and gets comfy, lounging like a fat cat who owns the joint and I can almost feel his eyes boring into me, enjoying my humility. Smug and getting off to a woman being put in her place. A woman he was denied not so long ago and nausea swirls in my stomach, my skin crawling as his eyes eat me up like fresh meat. Hating him with a passion for enjoying this.

“How awful of me to forget my place.” I grind out the last word, oozing disdain with every syllable, throwing Alexi a dagger of a sneer and pull the tray towards me to put the cups out. I grit my teeth to stop myself slamming them on the polished surface and rein in the bubbling lava threatening to explode out of me.

WANKER, ARSEHOLE, TOSSER, PRICK, ARSEHOLE!

All of the above and then some.

Alexi ignores me and talks right over the top of me like I’m nothing. Not everything, not his everything … just the worthless nothing he said I wasn’t.

Actions speak louder than words Alexi. Don’t you know that?

“Can’t get the help nowadays.” He smirks and Santagato lets out a dirty grating laugh. Like nails on a chalkboard and I shudder inwardly. Another layer of my skin threatening to peel from my bones as cringe overtakes me. I really despise Santagato with a passion only my hatred of Alexi rivalled; maybe he can have it back.

“Well, if you have to choose between efficient or fuckable, I guess it’s hard to tick both boxes. I can see her assets are probably best carried out on her knees.” He snorts dirtily and my whole body stiffens as I try not to react. I start inwardly reciting a mantra to myself.

You know this is how this world works—ignore and breath.

Don’t react.

Don’t reply with a catty remark.

For the love of God, just keep your mouth SHUT.

I can’t even bring myself to look at Alexi and all the blood drains from my face as his voice cuts in.

at keeping the

I feel like I might be sick, listening to him like this. The way he just dismissed sex with me in such a degrading manner. It’s too

to separate. How can I believe he is capable of more when it’s so easy for him to revert to kind? How can I have faith in someone who is capable of still being this way after

cruel. It’s cold and hurtful and it’s what I should have expected from a man who used my past to destroy me. He isn’t any different. He is exactly who

to show nothing outwardly. My mask moving in to shield me from prying eyes and I make very practised deliberate movements to hide how my inner self trembles and breaks, ready to sob her day away. I slide them in front of the men sitting, stomach tight and throat closing, pushing the sugar bowl and creamer jug to them, only too glad that I can escape now I’m done. I turn to push one at Alexi knowing he takes his

Arsenic?” I mutter the last word under my breath at him but it’s obvious by the tiny, angry flicker in his jawline that he heard it, and I get a cold glare thrust at me from under furrowed dark brows. Those pale eyes stirring with a hint of a storm, and I sense a foreboding that makes me want to

while you are at it, I can’t stand looking at sloppy women.” Alexi growls at me, pointing out that my liner is probably smudging from unquenched tears on the way up here and earns himself a seething, hateful

lift my chin, swoosh my hair back with sass and turn on my heel without a further response, I don’t wait a moment

never let him touch me

I inwardly cringe once more, skin crawling and aware of the fact Alexi has

let Santagato near me, but the person in that room said nothing about his sexual remarks. In fact, he fucking encouraged it. I hesitate for a moment and wonder if this version of him would let him touch me and I have no clear answer. I’m confused, heartbroken

be dominant and I head straight for the lift. Jackson close at my heel and he seems to sense he shouldn’t say anything this time or get too close. An

you, Alexi Carrero. I should have known

sorting through receipts as the group of men walk past. Alexi deep in conversation with Santagato amid them and I try my best to blank them completely. Still pissed as hell and overly prickly from earlier. He pauses as they come level and looks at me coldly, pulling my eyes to his with just the power of that stare and I curse myself for the tingles that spread across my body like wildfire. Averting my gaze just as quickly and trying to zone

and bossy shithead demeanour fully engaged and I slowly lift my head deliberately

ooze hostile charm and sarcasm as I glare right at his smug bastard face and his eyebrow twitches

a game for me. It’s not an act. I’m genuinely wounded and right now I could easily stab him in the face with my

won’t be back before dawn and will rearrange during the week.” Doesn’t skip a beat, just a smooth command with no

and fucking off with my Mafia sidekicks for sex and drugs and wanker antics somewhere

questioning glance, and

give a rat’s ass and try to go back to pretending that he is dead to me. I will freeze the arsehole out and see how much he likes it. Let him dangle at the other side of this and see how it

hear the footsteps progress towards the main door and try not to get hit with that wave of pure disappointment

a clue that when your woman is contemplating packing her bags and heading for the hills because of your arsehole behaviour, then the last thing you should do

an entire half day of whatever they are doing. I

concerned, Alexi can go fuck

by turning right back into the same arsehole who made me hate you in the first place and

underestimated the importance of my hostile mood. I don’t care if he doesn’t come back for a week. I

back to my papers, scattered across the marble bar in a haphazard mess, determined to just put him out of my head and my heart

how can I feel anything warm and fluffy when he’s shown he can still be an evil sadist who doesn’t

in and killed all my internal organs so that even crying is impossible. My tears have frozen like jagged little icicles inside me to

be a great day are defunct. Killed my mood, brought down the sun and just ruined everything. Like a typical boorish pig-headed son of a bitch whose internal

the club opens tonight and then go to bed and ignore him when he shows face. No doubt drenched in the smell of cheap perfume, tacky whores and booze. I don’t doubt he will continue to play the part of a Mafia boss and enjoy lap dancers, whores and free fucks if they are offered. I mean, look how quickly he changed to

let him pull me around and mess with me like he did before. I meant it when I said I would up and leave so he could never

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